Tracy Edwards 'paid debts with firm's money'

Tracy Edwards, the round-the-world yachtswoman, sacked her financial director because he questioned her using company money to pay her personal debts, he claimed at an employment tribunal yesterday.

Gregory Browne, the financial director of Miss Edwards's company, Quest International Sports Events, set up to organise two multi-million-pound races, claimed that she made payments worth hundreds of thousands of pounds that "could amount to fraud".

Matters came to a head in August when Mr Browne ordered the company's website to be taken down and replaced with a statement that independent forensic auditors were being called in. The message was removed and the website restored after four hours when Miss Edwards discovered it.

Mr Browne was dismissed the following month.

Miss Edwards, awarded an MBE for her achievements, including skippering the first female round-the-world crew, had personal debts estimated recently at about £2 million. She is believed to have sold her 110ft catamaran to settle them.

At the end of last month, Miss Edwards announced £3 million sponsorship from HSBC and a deal with the Gulf state of Qatar for a round-the-world race called Qatar Quest, starting next February. Another race, also from Qatar, will be held in 2006.

Mr Browne, who still owns a third of the company with Miss Edwards and another director, Mike Noel-Smith, is claiming that he was unfairly dismissed for making "public interest disclosures" about the company's finances.

Akhlaq Choudhury, for Mr Browne, told the South London Employment Tribunal in Croydon yesterday: "He said that the activities could amount to fraud. He regarded these activities as potentially criminal."

James Laddie, for Quest, said Mr Browne was dismissed for incompetence and for his conduct, including sabotage of the website and rudeness to customers.

Mr Laddie said: "[Mr Browne's] intention has apparently been to wrest control of the company from Miss Edwards and, aware that Miss Edwards is a well-known figure and that Quest has a race to organise, has used this case as a reason to delve into Miss Edwards's finances with a view to scandalising or embarrassing her."